Shakshuka is one of those meals that is so easy you can’t believe how delicious it is. It’s a perfectly simple meal for a weeknight dinner or a quick way into a warm weekend lunch. It’s filling, comforting, sweet and spicy.

Don’t know what Shakshuka is? You should! It’s a tomato dish hailing from North Africa, although in present day most associated with the Middle East, where many countries have their own take on it. Shakshuka is essentially a sauce of tomato, onion and chili with poached eggs. In Tunisia, they add artichoke hearts and potatoes, In Yemen, it’s served with a spicy hot sauce. Some people add feta, some people add fresh red peppers. In my house, I add fennel, both fresh hot peppers and crushed red pepper and a little parsley at the end as a refresher. I use canned tomatoes, but if you are lucky enough to have an excess of fresh tomatoes from the farmers market, you can use those too (just process them up in the food processor and move forward as if you were using canned crushed tomatoes). It’s one of those dishes that is much better when you make it your own! I happen to love that it takes some of the simplest ingredients and makes them into something incredibly interesting!

All in all, it’s pretty much a super food, especially when paired with a nice, velvety red wine like our Diamond Collection Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy this while yelling out the questions to Jeopardy or catching up on your favorite podcast.

Ingredients
1 bulb garlic, peeled and cloves minced
1 yellow onion, minced
1 jalapeño or hot pepper of your choice, diced
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 Tbsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. coriander
1 Tbsp. Fennel seeds
½ Tsp. cardamom
1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
4 eggs
Olive oil
Salt
Chopped fresh parsley for service

Method

1. In a large saucepan, sauté garlic, onion and jalapeño with olive oil and a pinch of salt until the onion is translucent.
2. Add your tomatoes and dry spices to the pan and mix. Let the tomato mixture start bubbling, then turn down to med-low heat to encourage a simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Ten minutes before service, add your eggs to the mix by carefully cracking them directly into the tomato sauce. Keep your sauce on a med-low heat and cover the pan. Check the eggs in about 7 minutes. The whites should be solid and the yolk should be just a bit runny - that’s part of the fun!<
4. Serve the tomato base with an egg (or two!) and some fresh parsley to brighten it up just a bit.

Playlist
Shakshuka is a perfect meal for a weekday night in the weeks where summer turns into fall. These are some favorite tunes (including some pretty epic covers) to enjoy when the days are hot, but the leaves start turning.

1. Ben Gibbard - The Concept
2. Jim James - Turn Your Lights Down Low
3. Ryan Adams - Oh My Sweet Carolina
4. Dawes - When My Time Comes
5. Robyn Hitchcock - The Ghost in You
6. J Mascis -  Fade into you
7. Sturgill Simpson - The Promise
8. Allen Toussaint - Southern Nights
9. Valerie June - Astral Plane
10. Sean Alan - In This World